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Young wrestler makes history

A sixth-grader from Devlin made some history Saturday when she became the first-ever female to place for the Mighty Mustangs youth wrestling program at the MNUSA state wrestling tournament in Rochester, Mn.

McKenna McTavish, competing in the all-girls' division, took third place in her weight class.

“McKenna is paving the way for both our Canadian and girl wrestlers,” lauded Mighty Mustangs' head coach Dan Schermerhorn.

"Girls' wrestling is growing fast and it's exciting to see events like the all-girls' division at the MNUSA state tournament.

“Our Ontario wrestlers get access to this tournament by being members of a Minnesota wrestling club, so that is also a great opportunity for our Borderland wrestlers to compete in a state tournament,” Schermerhorn added.

“It's a big deal to place third at a tournament like this," he stressed. ”And McKenna is [just] in her first year of wrestling.

"We are really excited to see what the future holds for her.

"Some comments from McKenna's mom, after talking to McKenna about the tournament, were, 'She says that it was a bit crazy but it was so much fun. She said that she liked meeting the other female wrestlers . . . they were very nice to her.'

“She thought the medals were awesome and she is happy she came here.'”

The other member of the Mighty Mustangs who competed over the weekend was eighth-grader Hudson Mann, who is originally from Fort Frances.

Mann compiled a 2-2 record in a tough bracket before being eliminated from the tournament.

“It would have been nice to see Hudson on the podium, too, but he still wrestled four good matches and continues to get more experience,” Schermerhorn said.

“Jeremy Mann is doing a great job getting him to tournaments and getting a lot of matches,” he noted.